Several other Asian countries have also approved the drug for COVID-19. (File)
Sydney:
Australia approved Friday’s remdesivir, an antiviral drug for the treatment of COVID-19, following a similar decision by the European Commission.
It is the first drug approved by the Australian authorities to treat the virus and promised to reduce the hospitalization time of patients with coronavirus, said the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia in a press release.
“By reducing recovery times, patients will be able to leave the hospital earlier, freeing up beds for those in need,” said the TGA.
The drug has been provisionally approved for adult and adolescent patients and will be limited to those who are severely suffering from the virus and need help with breathing and for hospital care, the authority noted.
“Although this is an important milestone in Australia’s fight against the pandemic, it is important to note that the product has not been shown to prevent coronavirus infection or relieve less severe infections. “
The move comes after the EU executive branch authorized the drug – which was originally intended to be used to treat Ebola – for use after Washington bought almost all of the supplies.
Recently, the United States reported purchasing 92% of all remdesivir from its producer, Gilead Sciences, until the end of September – about 500,000 treatments out of nearly 550,000.
Several other Asian countries have also approved the drug for COVID-19.
Australia’s call for approval of the drug was launched on the basis of “preliminary clinical data” and has been supported by reports from the European Union Medicines Agency and the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
